Michael Snydel
@snydel.bsky.social
He/him. Periodic writer about movies, regular musings about everything else. Former writer/podcaster; now i'm just trying to post through it.
ICYMI
Here is a list of all of Robert Duvall's appearances in features and miniseries that are currently available on streaming services arranged in release order. I would highly recommend using Justwatch to find the exact links.
February 19, 2026 at 8:22 PM
ICYMI
Reposted by Michael Snydel
girls only want one thing and it's Chow Yun-fat's enchanted botanical fairytale house in Once a Thief
February 19, 2026 at 6:37 AM
girls only want one thing and it's Chow Yun-fat's enchanted botanical fairytale house in Once a Thief
Reposted by Michael Snydel
i would make the argument that much of the best reality television is no less carefully thought out than any given piece of scripted television, sometimes serving as better humanist studies than fiction, and that the capability of the production/editorial teams is what makes many of them sing.
One could argue that the death of well-written sitcoms and dramas, and the rise of reality TV, brought us to this point.
And ultimately, that all came down to TV that was cheap to produce but high on returns.
We literally lost more carefully thought-out plot lines and cultural models.
And ultimately, that all came down to TV that was cheap to produce but high on returns.
We literally lost more carefully thought-out plot lines and cultural models.
at the hope of not sounding like a 'well akshuley' meme.
A lot of us do, or did when we where in the game. Our media models, mostly in young adult dramas, almost always had a "well listen dumbass' episode to set the point. These days, it's all "Real Housewives Survivor: Jersey Shore"
A lot of us do, or did when we where in the game. Our media models, mostly in young adult dramas, almost always had a "well listen dumbass' episode to set the point. These days, it's all "Real Housewives Survivor: Jersey Shore"
February 19, 2026 at 7:03 PM
i would make the argument that much of the best reality television is no less carefully thought out than any given piece of scripted television, sometimes serving as better humanist studies than fiction, and that the capability of the production/editorial teams is what makes many of them sing.
Reposted by Michael Snydel
Was trying to remember a Will Forte quote from Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie and accidentally figured out how to make Google’s AI tool shut up
February 19, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Was trying to remember a Will Forte quote from Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie and accidentally figured out how to make Google’s AI tool shut up
Reposted by Michael Snydel
Awfully hard to square the claims that ICE is focused on removing violent criminals that are so dangerous we can't let them be around with the fact that ICE tricks their targets by pretending to need help and waiting for neighborly types to respond by offering to help a stranger for free.
Two female ICE agents popped the hood of their car and knocked on the door of a mechanic born in Mexico. He went out to help.
“A bunch of agents jump out and tackle him, essentially restraining him, and take him away...His six kids are now without their father." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
“A bunch of agents jump out and tackle him, essentially restraining him, and take him away...His six kids are now without their father." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
ICE drawdown? Indications point to steady enforcement activity outside the Twin Cities
Some people who observe ICE activity are skeptical about a large scale drawdown of agents in the state. There are indications that activity has decreased in the Twin Cities, but has continued outside ...
www.mprnews.org
February 19, 2026 at 1:51 AM
Awfully hard to square the claims that ICE is focused on removing violent criminals that are so dangerous we can't let them be around with the fact that ICE tricks their targets by pretending to need help and waiting for neighborly types to respond by offering to help a stranger for free.
Reposted by Michael Snydel
If I wanted to learn about the history of TV criticism (not sociological / McLuhanite), what would I read?
February 17, 2026 at 9:28 PM
If I wanted to learn about the history of TV criticism (not sociological / McLuhanite), what would I read?
I'm not really a brand person, but I am such a sucker for when the New Line Cinema logo shows up before new movies.
February 18, 2026 at 6:55 PM
I'm not really a brand person, but I am such a sucker for when the New Line Cinema logo shows up before new movies.
Reposted by Michael Snydel
I would go further and say that supporting a candidate and voting them into office gives you the mandate to press them to keep their word. Obvs our culture of politics has been so hogtied that such an idea sounds naive, but that's an artificial problem, not a natural "way of things".
I hope New Yorkers will challenge Mamdani about this. Too often, people feel they need to be absolutely for or against a politician — ignoring their missteps or throwing them out with the bathwater. You can like and/or believe in someone and still challenge them to deliver on their promises.
Mayor Mamdani Breaks His Promise to NYC Public Libraries
The Struggle Against Defunding Libraries Continues...
prisonculture.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 6:07 PM
I would go further and say that supporting a candidate and voting them into office gives you the mandate to press them to keep their word. Obvs our culture of politics has been so hogtied that such an idea sounds naive, but that's an artificial problem, not a natural "way of things".
Reposted by Michael Snydel
Michael Mann crafting Tom Noonan's elaborate tattoos during the making of MANHUNTER (1986)
February 18, 2026 at 7:53 AM
Michael Mann crafting Tom Noonan's elaborate tattoos during the making of MANHUNTER (1986)
Reposted by Michael Snydel
Every time I watch Rebel Without a Cause I'm reminded that it's such a weirder film than it's popularly thought of. Dripping with existential dread and queer sensuality, it's part educational film in popular psychology, part nihilistic exploitation films, and part Sirkian melodrama. It's got it all!
February 18, 2026 at 2:12 AM
Every time I watch Rebel Without a Cause I'm reminded that it's such a weirder film than it's popularly thought of. Dripping with existential dread and queer sensuality, it's part educational film in popular psychology, part nihilistic exploitation films, and part Sirkian melodrama. It's got it all!
Reposted by Michael Snydel
they raided the child prison to confiscate letters from the children
i just
what are we doing here
i just
what are we doing here
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
February 18, 2026 at 12:29 AM
they raided the child prison to confiscate letters from the children
i just
what are we doing here
i just
what are we doing here
Here is a list of all of Robert Duvall's appearances in features and miniseries that are currently available on streaming services arranged in release order. I would highly recommend using Justwatch to find the exact links.
February 17, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Here is a list of all of Robert Duvall's appearances in features and miniseries that are currently available on streaming services arranged in release order. I would highly recommend using Justwatch to find the exact links.
Harris Dickinson's 2025 feature debut, Urchin, is streaming on Hulu. Frank Dillane's central turn in this hard-nosed character study has been praised by many critics. www.hulu.com/movie/urchin...
Urchin
Sleeping rough on the streets of London, Mike seems unable to escape the chaos of his impulsivity and substance abuse. He's intelligent and charismatic, but when his addiction results in an act of unp...
www.hulu.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Harris Dickinson's 2025 feature debut, Urchin, is streaming on Hulu. Frank Dillane's central turn in this hard-nosed character study has been praised by many critics. www.hulu.com/movie/urchin...
Reposted by Michael Snydel
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
February 17, 2026 at 11:41 AM
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
Reposted by Michael Snydel
This one can come over from the other place.
February 17, 2026 at 4:32 AM
This one can come over from the other place.
Reposted by Michael Snydel
Also, noting that this set is intentionally NOT billed as a "Vol. 1," BFI folks said on FB that this must sell out, "and not years from now," if they're going to do another set. OrbitDVD has it in stock if you're in the US (and it's only $40 for a 5 film/3 disc set w/ bound booklet—which is crazy).
BFI has a Blu-Ray set of the new 4K transfers, for those who can play Region B discs: hmv.com/Store/Film-T...
Cinema Expanded: The Films of Frederick Wiseman | HMV Store
Cinema Expanded: The Films of Frederick Wiseman Blu-ray Box Set Free shipping over £20
hmv.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:26 AM
Also, noting that this set is intentionally NOT billed as a "Vol. 1," BFI folks said on FB that this must sell out, "and not years from now," if they're going to do another set. OrbitDVD has it in stock if you're in the US (and it's only $40 for a 5 film/3 disc set w/ bound booklet—which is crazy).
This will come tomorrow.
Should I do a list of all Duvall films that are on streaming?
February 17, 2026 at 4:17 AM
This will come tomorrow.
Reposted by Michael Snydel
If neither of these options work for you please consider www.solidaritycinema.com and don’t feel too guilty about it
February 16, 2026 at 10:17 PM
If neither of these options work for you please consider www.solidaritycinema.com and don’t feel too guilty about it
Reposted by Michael Snydel
Non-fiction cinema is now before and after Frederick Wiseman.
Frederick Wiseman Dies at 96
Non-fiction cinema is before and after Frederick Wiseman, an indisputable notion that loses no import with the news, made official by his own Zipporah Films, that the artist behind—let's name just a f...
thefilmstage.com
February 16, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Non-fiction cinema is now before and after Frederick Wiseman.
There are a ton of Wiseman films available on Kanopy, but go to your library if you don't qualify for that service. They are almost guaranteed to have dozens of his films for physical rental.
February 16, 2026 at 9:35 PM
There are a ton of Wiseman films available on Kanopy, but go to your library if you don't qualify for that service. They are almost guaranteed to have dozens of his films for physical rental.
Reposted by Michael Snydel
here is how you get into Wiseman
February 16, 2026 at 9:13 PM
here is how you get into Wiseman
Reposted by Michael Snydel
Unless Frederick Wiseman was working on another film when he died, his final work will be Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros, my favorite documentary of 2023 (and in my overall Top 5 of all movies that year). Making masterpieces all the way to the end. We were blessed to have him for so long.
February 16, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Unless Frederick Wiseman was working on another film when he died, his final work will be Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros, my favorite documentary of 2023 (and in my overall Top 5 of all movies that year). Making masterpieces all the way to the end. We were blessed to have him for so long.
Reposted by Michael Snydel
“What a loss” has become a bit of a stock phrase, but man: what a genuine, measurable loss to the artform.
RIP Frederick Wiseman <3 <3
February 16, 2026 at 9:03 PM
“What a loss” has become a bit of a stock phrase, but man: what a genuine, measurable loss to the artform.
Reposted by Michael Snydel
The Twilight Zone episode “Miniature” always makes me sob. Robert Duvall played a lonely man many today would see as autistic, with such kindness and heart. Like Boo Radley, he made us feel compassion. Thank you for the humanity you gave us, Mr. Duvall.
RIP
RIP
February 16, 2026 at 7:03 PM
The Twilight Zone episode “Miniature” always makes me sob. Robert Duvall played a lonely man many today would see as autistic, with such kindness and heart. Like Boo Radley, he made us feel compassion. Thank you for the humanity you gave us, Mr. Duvall.
RIP
RIP
Should I do a list of all Duvall films that are on streaming?
February 16, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Should I do a list of all Duvall films that are on streaming?